For the past few years, when December rolls around, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has found his name linked to head coaching openings. When discussing those opportunities, Elliott has frequently talked about how the timing needs to be right for him to make a move.
Well, the timing may finally be right for such a move.
Sources have told The Clemson Insider for the past few weeks that this year is different, that Elliott is ready to make the jump if the right school comes calling.
Elliott has already interviewed for one head coaching opening. Now he is on the dance card for Duke and Virginia.
The Elliott camp has had conversations with both ACC schools. We don’t yet know if Elliott is the top choice for either school as of Saturday afternoon, but if he is, we have reason to believe there is a good chance he will accept the opportunity to become a head coach.
Elliott has had a hand in offensive game planning and play calling at Clemson for the last seven seasons, which include the Tigers’ national title teams in 2016 and 2018. He has turned down head coaching overtures from other FBS schools in recent years while gradually morphing into one of the country’s top offensive coordinators.
A former Clemson receiver, Elliott has spent the bulk of his coaching career at his alma mater. After getting started as an assistant at South Carolina State and later Furman, Elliott returned to Clemson in 2011 as Dabo Swinney’s running backs coach. He had co-offensive coordinator added to his title in 2015, and once Jeff Scott took the head coaching job at South Florida before the 2020 season, Swinney made Elliott the Tigers’ full-time offensive coordinator.
Elliott won the Broyles Award in 2017 as the nation’s top assistant coach. Before this season, he was given the title of assistant head coach. He also coaches Clemson’s tight ends.
With a first-year starting quarterback in D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson has fallen into the bottom half nationally in points (79th) and yards (95th) this season, but it’s been far from the norm for Elliott’s offenses. Clemson ranked in the top 40 in the FBS in both categories each of the previous six seasons, including three straight seasons of top-5 scoring offenses.
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